


Fire and Ice

by chiharutanaka



Category: Odin Sphere
Genre: F/M, Oops, Supposed to be part of a series, University AU, real-life AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 07:24:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14786040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiharutanaka/pseuds/chiharutanaka
Summary: AU oneshot. Griselda Ragnanival is a sophomore at Erion University, while her sister Gwendolyn is a freshman. Life in college is as normal as it can be, that is until Griselda gets stalked by a man who thinks she's Gwendolyn. Onyx x Griselda.





	Fire and Ice

It all began at the Erion University car park building.

Griselda Ragnanival, standing at her 170 cm height (of which 5 cm were contributed by her pair of wedges) exited alone as the steel doors of the elevator slid open. She was poker-faced, as usual, holding onto a folder with her right hand and her handbag slung around her left shoulder. The mid-terms were just around the corner, and suddenly all her assignments were due by the end of next month. But she was not one to complain - that was what college life was all about, and unlike most of her classmates, she was almost done with her work.

After all, a Ragnanival never procrastinates.

She was a sophomore studying for a business degree, in hopes that she, as the eldest daughter of Odin Ragnanival, one of the most successful businessmen in her home city of Nebulapolis, was able to inherit her father's business empire. And thus she was sent here, to the most prestigious learning institution of her country, Erion.

Her wedges made soft clicking noises as she walked across the relatively deserted car park on the third floor. It was already seven in the evening - everyone else had, or should have already gone home. However, she could hear the faint sound of footsteps made by rubber soles several feet behind her. Was someone following her?

Briskly, she turned around, her long platinum blond hair twirling in the process. She was actually not fond of leaving her hair down, but since her rubber band chose that particular day to snap, she had no choice but to leave it that way. Pursing her lips together, she scrutinized at the pillars and corner of the walls with her blue eyes, so much so it was a surprise she didn't bore holes through the concrete. Now she was sure someone indeed was following her.

She quickened her steps, and the stalker hiding behind the pillar peeped through, before chasing after her as quiet as he possibly could. His steps came to a halt at an empty area near the emergency stairway. Placing his hands on his hips, he looked around. "Now where did she go?" he mumbled to himself.

Before he could resume his search, he felt the sharp blow of a knee against his back, and suddenly he was pinned against the wall, both his hands held behind his back and something cold and pointy, like steel fangs, against his neck.

"Who are you, and why are you following me?" Griselda demanded at the stalker, his front pressed against the wall.

"Whoa, whoa, Gwendolyn, no need to be so hard on me."

Griselda's eyes narrowed. Gwendolyn was her younger sister by one year, and she was a freshman at the same university. 'So, he's looking for Gwen but found me instead,' she mused.

"I am not Gwendolyn," she said sternly, pointing the taser deeper into the flesh of his neck . "Why are you stalking my sister?"

"Sister?" he said in surprise. Griselda could feel him struggle, and it was difficult to keep him pinned as she could feel the firm muscles of his forearms trying to break free of her grip. If it wasn't for her weapon, he would've easily overpowered her.

"Answer me, or you'll find that your next experience will not be a pleasant one," she warned him, her thumb hovering dangerously over the 'on' switch.

He struggled again, but gave up as she was relentless. "Stalk is such a strong word," he replied. "I'm just a secret admirer, that's all. Now uh...could you put that taser away?"

Griselda slowly backed away, knowing that with her karate lessons she would be able to take him down should he try anything funny. He turned around, and she looked up at his towering figure just as his smouldering hazel eyes gazed down at her.

He looked familiar, she thought, as he had striking silver - almost white - hair that defied gravity and tanned skin. Most of his forehead was covered by a yellow bandanna, and he was dressed in a sleeveless black shirt and an equally sleeveless red hoodie over it.

"I've seen you before," said Griselda, certain of his identity. "You're in my Spanish class, aren't you?"

The man blinked. Upon actually seeing the lady's face, he was sure that she was not the beautiful Gwendolyn he had fallen head over heels for. But she bore a striking resemblance, only that her eyes, her nose and the curve of her lips was different. Now that he saw her closely, her shade of blond was just a tinge darker than her sister's. He would notice if there was someone in his class if she looked like his dear Gwendolyn, but then again, was he ever awake in class?

"Y...yeah, I think so," he said. How could they possibly be related, he wondered. Gwendolyn's voice was soft like a maiden singing to the moonlit night. The lady standing before him was stern, with an aura of authority in her voice - like a fiery Amazon woman.

"You may claim to be a 'secret admirer', but if you've followed me all the way here just because you thought I was her, that makes you a stalker."

"Hey, c'mon...I was just worried because it's late. I thought you were her, so I was...concerned."

Griselda glared at him. "Do you take me for a fool?"

"No, I'm honest!" he said, with a pearly-white smile across his face that may have made the more weak-hearted girls in her circle of friends swoon, but she was not fazed by his good looks, tanned skin and broad shoulders. "Look...I'm sorry I followed you all the way here...uh...what was your name again?"

"Griselda."

"Right. I'm not going to bother your sister, okay? I'm just waiting for the chance to speak to her."

Her eyes still focused on him, she returned the taser to its original place in her handbag. Gwendolyn had always been popular because of her radiant beauty, of which was inherited from their mother, Giselle. However, she had never really been jealous of it, since she was expected by their strict father to perform well as the eldest child. As long as her performance was good, that would make her father proud and it was all she needed.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Onyx," he replied. "Onyx Pyralis. Um...I guess I'd better go. Have a safe trip home."

Her expression still unchanged, she turned away from him with an indignant scoff and marched off to where her white Toyota Vios was parked.

* * *

The next time she met Onyx, it was in her next Spanish class. He usually sat at the far back, but for some odd reason, he was sitting right above her in the lecture hall, and like middle-school children, he passed a folded note to her. She felt the paper against her bare neck, since she had her hair tied up into its regular ponytail that day. She reluctantly picked it up and unfolded it, hoping that her friends did not notice. It read:

_I know this is kinda cowardly of me, but could you help me pass a few notes and flowers to your sister? Speaking of which, what flowers does she like? - Onyx_

Griselda groaned. She took her pen and scribbled back a reply before handing it back to him.

_Do it yourself. But if I catch you stalking her like a creep, you'll be sorry. Be a man, why don't you?_

This went on for a while, since she had Spanish classes twice a week. Sometimes, he would even go out of his way to find her during free periods (they were studying different subjects - she in Business, he in Executive Management) to try and comb out details regarding Gwendolyn from her, but time and time again she would refuse.

"He's a persistent one, isn't he?" asked her Business course classmate, a young lady of 23 taking her second degree named Velvet Valentine, twirling her honey-blond locks with her finger. "Maybe he likes you."

"You've got to be kidding me," she replied without the slightest hint of amusement, blue eyes rolling. "He refuses to go confront and confess to Gwendolyn personally, and until then, he's not getting any respect from me. Talk about acting like school children."

Velvet laughed. "Oh c'mon, Griselda, you know how guys are. Even Cornelius was afraid of telling me how he felt," she said, referring to her boyfriend.

"But this is Gwendolyn's matter, and I refuse to be part of it. I have better things to do."

Little did she know that Fate had other plans for her. In an unexpected turn of events, Onyx showed his true colours. Standing at the empty park next to the university, Griselda wondered what was so urgent that he asked to meet her alone like this.

"I know your secret," he told her, a conceited smirk across his face that made her want to just slap it off his face.

"What on earth are you talking about? Stop wasting my time, I have to leave soon."

"Just hold your horses, okay? I don't know what's the rush, but you're not going to deny my questions any more."

"And why is that?"

"Because I know that you, the daughter of the highly esteemed businessman Odin Ragnanival  _cheated_  on your last semester's report."

Griselda's eyes widened. 'How does he know that?' her mind screamed.

"Lies!"

"I have proof. Don't think you're the only one with connections. You employed a ghost writer to write your report, and unfortunately for you, he so happens to be my friend."

Her eyes narrowed. It was just a report for one of her generic subjects - IT, to be exact. She was not a computer person, and she would never really understand the need for computing besides managing businesses and running social networking websites. Plus, she had a million other things to do at the time; preparing final reports and studying for various exams. But if her father ever caught wind of this, she would be severely punished.

"You... you are a  _despicable_  man," she said at last, her voice trembling with anger, resisting all urge to just punch him.

Onyx merely laughed, his hands on his hips as his laughter broke the deadly silence around them. "I won't tell anyone, especially not your father or the Dean, if you can help me out with Gwendolyn."

If he took so much as one more step closer to her, she would have already slapped him. "You're blackmailing me because of her? How  _low_  can you get?"

"Uh-uh, Griselda. I'm sure you don't want anyone else to know that you, one of the brightest students of our university, cheats on her reports, now do you?"

Her one mistake became her fatal flaw, and she soon became Onyx's informant regarding all things Gwendolyn. They exchanged numbers, and he began bugging her with all the little details; Gwendolyn's favourite food, flowers, colour, movie, books, and anything else that you could name. He would even ask her what her sister's schedule was like - so that he could...for a lack of better words, stalk her.

But the stalking 'phase' did not last long, to Griselda's relief, and he actually spoke to Gwendolyn after a week of careful planning with her. Gwendolyn came home that day to their shared apartment, asking if Griselda knew him. "Yeah, he's in my Spanish class," she answered nonchalantly.

"Oh," said Gwendolyn, her violet eyes looking away. "I think he's been following me a lot lately. Even today, when he first introduced himself to me, he was all poetic and romantic about it. It kind of creeps me out."

Griselda could only smirk. If her dear sister rejects him, then all his blackmail would be for naught. At best, he would be too heartbroken to care about destroying her reputation and she would at last be free of him. "Well, if you see him following you again, just smack him. You know how to, don't you?" said Griselda with a small grin before sipping her coffee.

She conveniently left out one fact from Onyx - she wasn't the only one who knew karate.

* * *

It was about a month or two later, and Griselda was seated with her friend Velvet at the cafeteria during lunchtime. "I saw your sister at the mall yesterday," said Velvet as she sliced her hamburger into smaller pieces. "She was at that cute ice cream joint with a boy."

"Oh," said Griselda, completely unsurprised. "That's Oswald, her partner in some project of hers."

Velvet grinned. "Partner, eh? They certainly looked a little more...what's the word...intimate than just project partners."

"Hmm, you don't say," said Griselda with a small tug of her lips. "Gwen does seem to like him a lot. It's not my style to butt into my sister's life, but she's been telling me how they've been chatting a lot - on the phone, on IM, even on Facebook."

The older woman giggled. "Ah, to be young and in digital love."

"You're not that much older than us."

"Cornelius and I are a bit more old-school," she said, before looking over Griselda's shoulder to see a tall, fair-haired figure walking anxiously towards them. "Speaking of partners, yours is here to see you. I'll just leave you two lovebirds be."

"Velvet, wait-" Griselda began, but the woman had already picked up her tray and handbag and in one swoop, stood up and walked away from her table. Just as Velvet let, Onyx arrived and sat across her unceremoniously, his arms slamming on the table just as she lifted her cup of cappuccino before the tremor could spill it.

"I have the perfect plan!" he announced, with the cocky grin still plastered onto his face.

She looked sceptical and raised one eyebrow. A sigh escaped her lips. "Sure you do."

"This time, I'm sure it will work! And you are going to help me."

Surely, he was not going to take no for an answer. "Oh joy," she said monotonously.

"Ha-ha, very funny, Grizzly," he said, using the nickname he coined for her, before picking up a few French fries from her plate and stuffing them into his mouth. She frowned, but he ignored her. "I'm going to set up a perfect date, y'know, with the fancy restaurants, movie tickets and all."

"Oh, that's nice, but one question; how are you going to get Gwen to come?"

"Let me get to that," Onyx said, snapping his fingers in front of her face before pointing straight at her. " _You're_  gonna be the one to ask her out to the restaurant. And it'll be a table for two. Say you want to treat her, won some free tickets to a fancy dinner, whatever. Just before I arrive, I'll text you, and you make some excuse...I dunno, tell her you need to go powder your nose or something, and you make your exit, while  _I_  make my  _stunning_  entrance," he said enthusiastically.

Griselda was flabbergasted by his plan. "What makes you think she won't just leave after you come?"

"Because, my dear Griselda, how can any woman resist this handsome face?" he said with a smirk, and she felt like slapping her forehead.

'God, this guy is conceited.' True, she wasn't going to deny the fact that he was good-looking. Having forced to look at him at many occasions for the past two months or so, she noticed that he was gifted with a statuesque profile - from his perfectly arched nose, high cheekbones, a pair of smouldering hazel-amber eyes that could easily burn a hole into any girl's soul to his broad shoulders, well-toned arms and (once, by accident) his six-pack abdomen. If he wasn't strangling her with an iron grip called blackmail, she could've watched him at the beach all day without a single complaint (but of course she would never, EVER, tell him this).

"So whaddya think?" asked Onyx triumphantly, crossing his arms.

She sighed. "It's fine by me. But whatever happens to you and Gwen after I leave the restaurant...I don't want to be responsible. Gwen is a grown woman, and I expect you to respect her decision, whether you like it or not."

"Okay, okay. No need to be such a party pooper. I'll text you the details of the reservations tonight. You're a big help, Griselda," he said with a grin, before grabbing a sip from her cup of coffee before she could protest.

He left just as swiftly as he entered, leaving Griselda seated alone, surprised at his course of action. She looked down at the cup of cappuccino, her heart a little fluttered, her cheeks tingling. "Idiot," she mumbled, before she continued to sip on her drink.

* * *

Gwendolyn had not suspected a thing. After all, they came from a rather well-off family, and dinners at posh restaurants were not something rare. Griselda asked her out, in the pretence of a 'sisters date' and after donning their pretty dresses, fit for a five-star restaurant, she drove them to a elegant Italian restaurant (oddly named 'Pooka') near the pier of the academia town.

"It sure is nice of you to take us here, Griselda," said Gwendolyn, dressed in a beautiful off-shouldered black dress with delicate blue and white lace, her hair let down with blue feather barrettes in her hair. "I do miss good Italian food."

"I know you do," said Griselda, knowing well that Onyx chose this place because Gwendolyn loved Italian food. She had her hair up in an elegant side bun, pinned with a purple and pink feather clip similar to Gwendolyn's, wearing a halter-neck lilac dress with a simple necklace of pearls and clear crystals.

The waiter attended to them and handed them their menu, and while Griselda was looking over the menu, a series of beeping sounds were emitted. Half-expecting it was her phone, she reached for her purse, but it was a different ringtone altogether. She watched as Gwendolyn read the text message that was sent to her.

Her violet eyes widened as she read the text message line by line. "Oh my God," she breathed, which made her older sister curious.

"What's wrong? Who's it from?"

"It's from Mr. Brom," she said, her chest swelling in anxiety. Brom was the kind-hearted boss where Oswald worked part-time as a delivery boy. "Oswald...he's...he's been involved in a road accident. Oh my God, Griselda, what should I do?" she asked, suddenly tearing up. "He hasn't been here that long and he's got no family. Mr. Brom's at the hospital and..."

Griselda reached across the table and patted Gwendolyn's hand. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out and handed her younger sister the keys to the car. "Here, head on over to the hospital and go see to him."

"B...but our dinner..."

"We'll postpone this date," she said. "Oswald is more important, isn't he? Don't worry about me - I'll take a cab."

Gwendolyn nodded, and took the keys before rushing out of the restaurant. Griselda watched as the white Vios reversed out and drove off from the parking lot. She then heard the beep of her own phone, followed by a black car that came to take the vacated spot.

She didn't have to read the message to know he had arrived. After a few minutes, he entered the restaurant and walked over to the table, expecting Gwendolyn to be seated alone but instead found Griselda sipping on a glass of water.

"Where's Gwen?" he asked, a bouquet of violets in his hand. He was dressed well, Griselda had to admit with raised eyebrows; wearing a black suit with a red shirt beneath it, the first three buttons undone with matching black trousers and his gravity-defying hair was gelled back a little.

"Not here. Something urgent came up, and she left with the car."

"Urgent?" asked Onyx, sitting down and almost slamming the bouquet on the table. "What the hell could be so urgent that she would leave me...I mean you here?"

Griselda crossed her arms and sighed. "A friend of hers got into an accident. It sounded pretty bad, to the point that he had to go to the hospital."

Onyx blinked, blood boiling under his skin. "... _He_?"

"Yes," Griselda said coolly. "Apparently, Gwen's heart may already belong to someone."

He slammed a fist onto the table, startling Griselda as well as the other patrons of the restaurant. "Don't play with me, woman," he said in between gritted teeth. "You mean to tell me Gwen's had her eyes on another guy and you didn't feel the need to tell me?"

Griselda's expression changed to one of anger as she snapped. "Of course I don't! She's not an object, you idiot! If you had just asked her out yourself, maybe you would've had a chance with her!"

Onyx watched her, startled at her outburst. "If you want to go ahead and rat me out to my father, fine, go ahead. I'm tired of playing these games with you. And to think, I almost felt sorry for you," she said, before grabbing her purse and standing up.

"Wait," he said, grabbing her wrist as she passed by him. "You're right. God, I'm such an idiot...I'm sorry," he said, looking up at her, his eyes apologetic and frustrated.

Griselda tried to break free of his grip, but he proved to be far stronger than she was, at least in terms of arm strength. "You must be one heck of a spoiled brat at home, aren't you?" she said.

"I guess," said Onyx with a disappointed shrug. "Now sit down. I've already planned and paid for the rest of the evening, so we might as well enjoy it."

He let go of her, which made her rub her sore wrist. His grip left a fading red mark, and she sat down across him as he picked up the menu to peer at it. She picked up hers and both their faces disappeared behind the leather covers.

"I'm sorry things didn't turn out the way you wanted it to," Griselda suddenly said. Even with his obnoxious behaviour, it was unlike her to lash out at him.

"It's not your fault. I should've seen this coming. Gwen's a beautiful...stunning young woman, and she should be free to choose whoever she wants."

Griselda suddenly felt bad for him. Unrequited love was painful, she knew from her own past experiences. "I should have seen this coming," she heard him murmur.

"Why do you like her that much?"

"I don't know. Do I really need a reason? Look, I don't want to talk about this."

The waiter returned, unsurprised at the change of patrons at that table, and took their order. They ate their dinner in relative silence, until a beeping noise came from Griselda's phone. She picked it out of her purse and read the message in her inbox. A relieved smile came over her lips.

"Was that from Gwen?" asked Onyx suddenly, before taking a sip of his drink.

Griselda nodded. "Her friend's going to be okay. She said it was just an arm fracture."

"Hmm. I see," he said, and went back to his food.

She frowned. Although he was a brat, he was usually so happy and energetic every time they met. It was as if the fiery blaze inside him had been doused with a bucket of water. But if she nor Gwendolyn were to blame, then whose fault was it? His? Hardly - he was a fool blinded by love - and all was fair in love and war.

"So what do you have planned after this?" she asked, spooning her chocolate gelato.

Onyx sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "It was supposed to be dinner, then movies before a nice stroll down the pier. I even got the tickets right here," he said, taking them out of his pocket. Griselda took it from his hands. "You told me Gwen wasn't much of a movie person, so I decided pick out something..."

"The Avengers?" she said, looking at the title printed on the tickets. "You were planning to watch this?"

"Yeah. I've been waiting for it to release. What of it?"

"What of it?" she asked, before she laughed. "I'm no comic-book nerd, but if a movie has Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Hulk in it, it's probably worth the watch."

Onyx chuckled. "I didn't think you were the type for action movies. I was going to throw these away, but since you look so eager, I guess we'll go watch it, then."

Griselda's face lightened up with a rare smile which suddenly made him unable to tear his eyes away from her. She was enjoying his company, at least this time he was sure. All the previous times he spent with her in cafés, the library and the park plotting for Gwen's affection...she would mostly scoff at his ideas. But lately she had been more...soft. If that was even the right word to describe it.

It was difficult for him to explain, but she seemed to be more at ease with his presence, compared to her initial prickly demeanour. She even smiled at him, once or twice. That small, almost invisible tug on her lips must have been a smile, or maybe he was hallucinating.

He paid for the dinner (like he planned and promised), and opened the passenger car door for her like a gentleman. If he couldn't have his date with Gwendolyn (he could always try again later), he should at least enjoy this 'date' with Griselda.

Once they were at the movies, they went to the small VIP theatre he had booked to watch the movie, and throughout the movie she was nibbling down the popcorn like a nervous habit as the action played out on the screen. They ended up talking about the movie the entire time from after the movie ended to when they were driving downtown.

"So, where to next?" asked Griselda.

"Where to?"

"I thought you had something else planned for tonight. I enjoyed the dinner and the movie, despite our little squabble. But then again, we're always quarreling."

"Yeah, the fact that we're in the same car without reaching for each other's throats is really something, huh?"

He took the exit road from the highway, ending up at an area overlooking the entire city. Stopping the car, he stepped out of the car and Griselda did the same. "Lovely spot you have here," she said, leaning against the car.

"It's really something, isn't it? I always come here to relax."

They were silent for a long time, until she spoke up. "Look, don't beat yourself up over Gwen. I can still help you, if you want me to," she told him.

"Nah, don't give me your sympathy. I've troubled you enough as it is. Maybe Gwen's just not the one for me, y'know? I'm a lucky guy...I'd probably find another girl just as swell as her."

Griselda chuckled. "Now there's the Onyx I know."

"Hey, don't hate me because I'm awesome."

She frowned at him, before they both burst into laughter. When was the last time she was able to laugh like this? His cocky, self-conceited behaviour always annoyed her, but at the same time, he was amusing to watch because he made a fool out of himself when he did so. When did she become so open to him? Was it when she realised that he knew her weakness and her flaws?

"That said, I think I'll lay off your sister. She's probably noticed that I've been watching her."

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Sherlock."

"Very funny, Grizzly. So where does that leave us?"

"What are you talking about? We'll go back to being classmates in Spanish class."

Onyx frowned. He pocketed his hands as he leaned against the car as well. "That's it? I thought we were friends, at least."

"Well...I guess we are," Griselda said, suddenly uncomfortable. "So what, you want to meet up for coffee from time to time, is that it?"

"Yeah. Coffee sounds great."

"I bet you'll have plenty to talk about even after we've lost our usual conversation topic."

Onyx smiled. "Yeah. So we're friends, right?"

"That's what I just said."

"In that case, can I ask you for a favour? As a friend?"

"Go on."

"It's...kind of hard for me to say."

Griselda raised an eyebrow. They were practically alone - did he even have to whisper? No one was going to be able to hear it, anyway. She rounded the front of the car to his side and stood before him. "Just say it like a man," she said, her hands on her hips.

Before she knew what was coming, Onyx had already reached forward and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her shoulder. "Onyx, what the hell are you..." she began, but she stopped mid-sentence when she heard him sob.

He was crying.

His broad shoulders were shaking as he did so, sobbing quietly next to her ear as she felt his tears over her shoulders. She felt the breath leave her throat, and she was at a loss. Apparently, he was not taking Gwen's unintended but very real rejection well. She thought he was, and she thought wrong.

She realized that she was now seeing a side him that next to zero had ever seen. She was with him at his most vulnerable, and she did not know what to do. Therefore, she did the only thing she could do - her hands reached around his waist and patted his back gently, without a word from her mouth. He didn't need any words of consolidation. He just needed a friend. Which got her to thinking:

Was he as lonely as she was?

"Oh God," said Onyx, rubbing his nose and eyes, mortified. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Here," she said, handing him a handkerchief from her purse.

He wiped his tears away, before blowing his nose into the white cloth. Griselda's face scowled in disgust. "You know what, take it," she said. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah. Though I hope you..."

"I won't tell a soul," she interrupted him.

"Thanks," he said, giving her a half-hearted grin.

She smiled in return. "Now c'mon. Let's go home before you get all emotional again."

They drove off for Griselda's house, and once there, she bid him good night and was about to exit the car when Onyx stopped her. "Wait," he said, and in that split second she turned to him, he gave her a peck on the cheek.

"That's for...y'know, keeping that a secret. Good night."

Griselda felt her cheek burn long after he had left. She touched it, and it felt warm and tingly. A feeling she hadn't experienced in the longest time.

"Onyx...you idiot."

* * *

Monday morning was Spanish class, and he was seated behind her as usual, and he flashed her a smile as she took a seat. She merely smiled - a very small curve of her lips - before turning her attention to her other classmates.

And just when the lecture was getting boring, she felt the familiar poke of paper at the back of her neck. Taking the scrap of paper and unfolding it, she read its contents and genuinely smiled - hoping her friends on the left and right did not catch her doing so. The note simply read:

_Morning, Grizzly. Gonna have some coffee at 3pm. Wanna come?_

She picked up her pen and scribbled a reply:

_OK._

**Author's Note:**

> An old fic from my ff.net account, back in 2012.


End file.
